Many machines include removable covers that block access to some maintenance feature of the machine. During periodic maintenance intervals, the removable cover is detached from the machine so that access to the maintenance feature can be gained and some maintenance procedure performed. For instance, alternators associated with internal combustion engines are often belt driven and include a removable cover or guard that blocks access to the belt. When performing routine maintenance, such as to tighten the belt and/or replace the alternator belt, the removable cover or guard must be detached. During these routine maintenance procedures, there is often the risk that one or more fasteners associated with the removable cover or guard will become lost, often rendering it impossible or extremely inconvenient to find a replacement fastener for reconnecting the cover or guard to the machine. As a result, in some instances the replaceable cover or guard is not reconnected to the machine. Some jurisdictions with authority over certain machines often require that fasteners associated with removable covers be captive so that the fastener stays with the cover when the cover is disconnected from the machine. In some specific circumstances, reconnection of covers may also be problematic in that they may require near simultaneous tightening of two or more fasteners to avoid cover warping or bending and potential breakage of the cover. One example of a captive fastener that is known relates to screws that are connected to a removable cover with spring clips. While such a strategy may work well in many applications, spring clips and screws may not be appropriate for many other applications, such as the alternator belt cover situation described above. U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,093 shows a captive fastener member and system for joining two work pieces that may also be of interest.
The present disclosure is directed toward one or more of the problems set forth above.